


Like Ships In The Night

by TsukiDragneel



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Abed Is Way Too Blunt, Basically Just Oneshots, Christmas, Everyone is probably ooc, F/M, I Ship It, Paintball, Songfic, Valentine's Day, When Is This, Why Isn't There More For This Ship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-07-20 09:50:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16134779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TsukiDragneel/pseuds/TsukiDragneel
Summary: Britta and Jeff over a year.Songfic for Like Ships In The Night





	Like Ships In The Night

_ Like ships in the night _ __  
_ You keep passing me by _ __  
_ Just wasting time _ _  
_ __ Trying to prove who’s right

 

_ -September- _

The blonde rests her head on her palm, staring blankly out the window. She absentmindedly twists a strand of wavy hair around her finger, lost in thought.

“...paying attention? Britta?”

“Here!” she shouts, straightening up.

“See, I told you she wasn’t paying attention!” Annie tsks, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear. 

“I was!” Britta lies.

“Sure, just like you ‘knew’ who Sophie Hawkins was?” Jeff snaps. 

“For your information, I know  _ exactly  _ who she is, thank you,” Britta huffs, folding her arms over her chest.

“We need to study!” Shirley interjects. 

“You know, I wish you’d let me therapize you,” Britta frowns, staring at Jeff intently.

“I don’t need to be therapized or whatever you call it!” Jeff exclaims.

“Oh, I see what this is,” Abed states. “This is Jeff’s way of admitting he needs therapy, but just not admitting it.”

“Shut up! I do not!” Jeff shouts.

__  
_ And if it all goes crashing into the sea _ __  
_ If it's just you and me _ _  
_ __ Trying to find the light

 

_ -Halloween- _

Jeff cards his fingers through Britta’s hair, pausing every so often to wipe a tear from her face. She in turn leans her head on his shoulder, sobs wracking her lithe frame. The bulky dinosaur costume from earlier is gone, replaced by workout shorts and a thin white tee.

“Jeff… I’m scared,” Britta whispers. 

“Of course you are,” Jeff replies. “I’m scared too.”

“What can we do?” Britta’s hand brushes over the brown stubble on his jaw before it reaches for his hair, marvelling at the silky softness.

“I don't know,” Jeff honestly replies. “I mean, we’re hiding out in a bathroom, barring the door with a  _ stall door _ . What should we do? Because I was thinking we try to outlast.”

The door to the bathroom shakes, zombified classmates pounding on it from the other side.

“Jeff…” Britta buries her face in his suit, cursing her weakness in her mind.

“Hey, look at it this way - you’re not going to die in that dinosaur costume!”

“Pfft… haha… I guess you’re right. It could be worse.”

Jeff interlaces the fingers of his left hand with hers, wrapping his right arm around her waist. “We can outlast this. I promise.”

“I don’t need your promises!” Britta exclaims. “And I don’t need you to protect me!”

Jeff shoots her an “are-you-really-gonna-do-this-now” look, and she amends. “Okay, I guess it couldn’t hurt…”

“Abed and Troy are going to fix the A/C,” Jeff mutters. “If we can hold out ‘till then-”

“Too late,” Britta interjects as the bathroom door flies open with a bang.

__  
_ Like ships in the night letting cannonballs fly _ __  
_ Say what you mean and it turns to a fight _ __  
_ Fists fly from my mouth as it turns south _ __  
_ You’re down the driveway _ _  
_ __ I’m on the couch

 

_ -November- _

“How many grown men still have daddy issues!”

“And what makes you qualified to say anything?”   
“I’m a  _ psych major _ !”

“And that makes you somehow qualified to say anything?”   
“Actually, it  _ does _ , thank you very much.”

“Even though you and I both know a degree from Greendale means about the same as my first degree?”

“You didn’t have a first degree!”

“Exactly!”   
Britta and Jeff glare at each other, tension thick in the air. Above them, stars twinkle merrily, oblivious to the scene.

“You are  _ horrible _ , Jeff Winger!” 

“Says you!”

“At least I don’t try to diagnose everyone I know!”   
“Like breaking their hearts is somehow better?!”   
The words cut deep, and Jeff’s hand is balled into a fist, blood trickling down his arm.

“I can see why your dad left! You’re an ass!”

Britta’s eyes widen as soon as the words leave her mouth, and she frantically tries to backpedal. “No- I didn’t mean- Jeff-”

“Go. Now.”

__  
_ Chasing your dreams since the violent fifth grade _ __  
_ Trying to believe in your silent own way _ __  
_ 'Cause we’ll be okay, I’m not going away _ __  
_ Like you watched at fourteen as it went down the drain _ __  
_ Your pops stayed the same and your moms moved away _ _  
_ __ How many of our parents seem to make it anyway

  
  
  


_ -December- _

“Britta?”   
“Yeah?” Britta replies, pausing at the door to her bedroom.

“Is this you?”

Jeff holds up a photo album, and in it is a photo of Britta- with bright purple hair holding a can of blue spray paint and grinning in front of a billboard. 

“Yeah, so?” Britta challenges him with a glare, and he backs off. 

“Why was your hair  _ purple _ ?”

“That’s the problem you have with the photo? Not that I was vandalizing public property? Wow, Jeff, you’re cooler than I give you credit for.”

“Ha ha. But seriously, even when we met after that court case, I couldn’t figure out why your hair was purple.” 

“It was edgy, alright? I was rebelling against the system.”

“And instead of red, you chose  _ purple _ .”   
“Oh, and like your hair looks any better?”

“You take that back  _ right now _ .”

They bicker back and forth until Jeff sighs, tossing a teddy bear with a red ribbon tied around its neck at her.   
“Is this-”

“Yeah, it’s for you.”

Britta’s face flushes a dark pink as she wraps the ribbon around her finger. 

“What’s his name?”

“...”

“You didn’t think of one, did you?”

“Was I supposed to?”

Britta sighs, squeezing the bear to her chest.

“Hey, why not call it Jeff?”

“What?”

“That way, when you cuddle it at night it’ll be like I’m there- hey!”

He’s cut off by Britta throwing a throw pillow at his face, smirking devilishly.

__  
_ We’re just fumbling through the gray _ __  
_ Trying to find a heart that’s not walking away _ __  
_ Turn the lights down low _ __  
_ Walk these halls alone _ __  
_ We can feel so far _ _  
_ __ From so close

 

_ -Christmas 1/2- _

“I’m so glad all of you came to celebrate a holiday about Jesus Christ, our lord and savior,” Shirley coos, placing plates on the long table. “Does this mean you’ve finally accepted Christianity?”

“No!” Britta exclaims. “And I fail to see how supporting this holiday of tyranny makes any difference!”

“Britta,” Jeff frowns, hand wrapping around her waist. “Enough. Let Shirley have this.”   
“Britta is right, though,” Abed adds, placing his magazine on the table. “The meaning of Christmas has grown so distorted, it’s more about presents than anyone’s birth.”

“Oh my god… I just realized!” Troy exclaims. “If you break down Christmas, you get Christ and mas! Like the Spanish word for more!”

“You guys!” Annie pouts. “You’re being insensitive!”

“No, it’s alright,” Shirley smiles. “I’ll still pray for you all so that someday I can see you in heaven too!”

“Your amount of passive-aggressive irritation is terrifying,” Jeff comments. 

Britta’s hand slides into his, and she gives him a reassuring smile. 

“No, I see what she’s doing,” Abed states. “She’s trying to guilt-trip us into celebrating her holiday.”

Shirley’s face falls, and Annie’s mouth hangs open in an ‘O’.

“Abed!” she exclaims, folding her arms over her chest. “It’s Christmas! Can we please put our differences aside!”

“It’s alright,” Shirley’s smile is clearly fake, and her hands are shaking slightly. “I… see how it is. I suppose that you all don’t want to stay… you’re free to go, if you want to.”

Jeff’s hand pulls Britta out of her seat, and he shoots them a grin.

“We’ll be right back, guys,” he proclaims. “I just have to get something.”

__  
_ Like ships in the night _ __  
_ You keep passing me by _ __  
_ Just wasting time _ _  
_ __ Trying to prove who’s right

 

_ -Christmas 2/2- _

“Why did we leave?” Britta asks as snow swirls around them. Her cherry-red scarf is pulled over her mouth and nose, and Jeff’s sapphire-blue scarf is tugged in all directions by the wind. He’s humming  _ “White Christmas”  _ while staring up at the streetlights, a faint smile on his face.

“Jeff,” Britta repeats, snapping in front of his face. “Why did we leave?”

“We forgot the presents,” Jeff replies. “Remember, you dragged me shopping last week?”

“Oh yeah!” Britta exclaims, eyes lighting up. “This is going to be amazing!”

They manage to get in and out of Jeff’s apartment in under ten minutes, and trudge back along the snow-coated sidewalks to Shirley’s.

“When you were younger, did you make snowmen?” Britta asks, turning to stare at Jeff.   
“Of course I did,” Jeff smiles. “Let me guess- you made a snowwoman too, so that both genders would have equal representation.”

Britta’s cheeks flush a deeper shade of pink and she dives deeper into her scarf, because he’s right.

“I know you,” Jeff wraps his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side.

And it’s true- they do know each other. Kindred spirits; they understand each other because of how broken they are.

But in this moment, at this time, Britta doesn’t feel broken at all.

They share a passionate kiss on Shirley’s driveway before going inside, and while Jeff complains about the cold, Britta feels warm and fuzzy inside.

__  
_ And if it all goes crashing into the sea _ __  
_ If it’s just you and me _ __  
_ Trying to find the light _ _  
_ __ Like ships in the night

 

_ -January- _

“Are you sure?”

It’s the same question he’s asked ten other times, and Britta barely refrains from rolling her eyes.

“ _ Yes _ , I’m sure.”

She finishes patting the snow around his torso, and Jeff sneezes.    
“Because I really don’t want to get a cold from this…”

“If you really didn’t want to do this, then why did you agree? I didn’t even have to persuade you or anything!”

“I’m regretting it more with every second that goes by, trust me.”

“You’re hopeless.”   
Britta lifts another large glob of snow, and places it on his shoulder, patting it so that his arm is effectively pinned.

“You have me, now what do you want?”

Jeff asks her the question a half-hour later, and Britta offers a self-satisfied smirk.

“I want…”

She pulls her cherry-red scarf off her neck (though her nerves scream in protest when exposed to the cold January air) and wraps it around his neck, (which is covered in snow) smiling.

“Why are you doing this?”

She places a top hat on his hand, and a wooden pipe in his mouth. 

“Oh, this’ll make a great Christmas card for next year!”

“...this is blackmail, isn’t it.”

“No!”

“You wanted to try on my scarf?”

“Duh. It looks comfortable, with how much you wear it!”

“You could have asked, instead of making me get in all this snow!”

“Oh, stop complaining. You have a parka and snow pants!”

Jeff sneezes, and Britta snaps a quick photo before helping him out of the snowsuit.

“If I get sick,” he groans as she helps him inside, “you’re taking care of me.”

__  
_ You're passing me by _ __  
_ You're passing me by _ __  
_ Like ships in the night _ __  
_ I’m at the airport waitin’ on the second plane _ __  
_ Had to pack, you had cramps, _ __  
_ And I was late heading to a red carpet _ _  
_ __ They won’t know my name

 

_ -February- _

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

Britta leans back, staring into Jeff’s bleary eyes. “Because we don’t have to go to New York-”

“Yes, we do.” Jeff coughs into the crook of his arm, face flushed and red. 

“No, idiot. You’re sick.”

Britta pushes him back into the bed, ignoring the half-hearted complaints. Because, really, is Jeff Winger going to admit that he’s sick? Ever?

“You know what this means,” Jeff’s eyes glint playfully before breaking off into a coughing fit. “You can’t -cough- cuddle with me until I’m -cough- better. Such a great loss.”

“Don’t check now, but I think your head is actually bigger. Shame your ego’s so huge.”

“Hey! I have a perfectly normal sized head!”

“Sure.”

Britta returns to the packing, Jeff shouting out suggestions periodically.

__  
_ Riding in silence _ __  
_ All that we wanna say _ __  
_ 'Bout to board when you call on the phone _ __  
_ You say I’m sorry I’ll be waitin’ at home _ __  
_ Feels like we’re burning this out on our own _ _  
_ __ Trying to find our way down a road we don’t know

 

_ -Valentine’s Day- _

They walk the streets of New York City in silence, staring at the large billboards and illuminated signs. Britta’s hand is in Jeff’s, gripping his tightly as their breath comes in short puffs.

“What are we going to do?” Jeff eventually asks. “When we leave Greendale?”

“I don’t know,” Britta answers. “I’ve always wanted to come back to New York City, you know.”

“The people here are rude,” Jeff frowns.

“Says you. Pot calling the kettle black.”

“Hey!”

Jeff pulls Britta’s scarf over his mouth, adjusting his own on Britta’s neck. 

“Don’t you want this back?” Britta asks, turning to stare at him.   
“...keep it. Blue suits you.”

“...” Britta stares at the ground, illuminated by the signs.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want this to be temporary. How will the rest of the study group react?”

“I think they already know.”

“But that it’s not just for sex, Jeff. That this is actually serious.”

“I… I didn’t think about that. It’s best not to think about.”

“Are you being an ostrich?”

“What?”

“Yeah, an ostrich. They stick their heads in the ground and ignore danger.”

“I am not an ostrich!”

“I call it like I see it, Winger.”

“Then you need to get your eyes checked, Perry.”

Britta reaches for his scarf, yanking him down so their lips meet.

“Check this,” she breathes.

__  
_ Turn the lights down low _ __  
_ Walk these halls alone _ __  
_ We can feel so far _ _  
_ __ From so close

 

_ -March- _

“Jeff?”

“Yeah?”   
“Why are we here in the middle of the night?”

“Because, Britta.”

Jeff opens the door to the darkened study room, smirking devilishly. 

“We’re still one for two.”

Thirty minutes later, they’re lying on the study room table, Britta pressed against Jeff’s bare chest.

“Jeff?”

“Mhm?”

“Why did you really bring me here? Because I know it wasn’t for the study room table.”

“...”

“Are you getting cold feet or something?”

Britta swings her legs around the side of the table, pulling on her yoga pants. “Because you asked me here for  _ something _ , and I’d kinda like to hear it.”

“...”

“Jeff. Spit it out.”

“...I should probably put some pants on first.”

Ten minutes later, they sit on the beat-up couch, Britta’s head resting on Jeff’s shoulder.

“Well, what is it?”

“What are we? We’re not “friends with benefits,” so what are we?”

“I thought we were a couple… like when you proposed to me. But better. Not rushed.”

“A couple, huh? I can live with that.”

“You say that like it’s a curse.”

“Well…”

The conversation is cut short by Britta kicking him in the leg.

__  
_ Like ships in the night _ __  
_ You keep passing me by _ __  
_ Just wasting time _ _  
_ __ Trying to prove who’s right

 

_ -April- _

“I love the flowers,” Britta muses, staring out the window.    
“Why?” Jeff asks, playing with daisies in his lap. He’s arranging them into a chain, and Britta eyes them with apprehension.   
“What are you doing?”

“Making a daisy chain.”

“You. Making a daisy chain.”

“So what?”

“Aww, Jeff!”

Annie skips into the room, sliding into the chair next to the ex-lawyer. “Is that for Britta?”

“No!” Jeff and Britta deny in unison.

“Sure,” Annie winks. 

“Okay, fine! It’s for Britta!” Jeff shouts, and the entire room turns to stare. “What are you looking at?”

He knots the last two daisies together, and places it on Britta’s head.

“You know, this is killing thousands of flowers every year,” Britta complains. 

“Shush,” Jeff commands, threading his fingers through her hair and pulling her in for a kiss.

__  
_ And if it all goes crashing into the sea _ __  
_ If it’s just you and me _ __  
_ Trying to find the light _ _  
_ __ Like ships in the night

 

_ -Easter- _

“Remind me again why we aren’t going to Shirley’s?”

“Because someone is going to offend her, and I don’t want it to be you.”

“Harsh.” Britta’s lower lip sticks out in a pout, and she folds her arms. 

“Hey, you know it’s true.”

“It is, but you don’t have to say it.”

Jeff reaches for the remote and turns on the t.v. with a frown. “What should we watch?”

“ _ Friday Night Lights _ ?”

“What?”

“You’ve never seen it?”

Britta snatches the remote and turns on the first episode, curling on top of it so he can’t change the show. “Marathon, whether you like it or not.”

“Fine,” Jeff huffs.

__  
_ You're passing me by _ __  
_ You're passing me by _ __  
_ Like ships in the night _ __  
_ I’m gonna find my way _ _  
_ __ Back to your side

 

_ -May- _

“So, Abed, what do you think about-”

“Proposing to Britta? Yes.”

“That’s not what I was going to ask…”

“Well, you should.” Abed leans on the table, staring at Jeff with narrowed coffee-brown eyes. “I can see it in the way you two act. You’re not just friends with benefits, something more…”

“Jeff!” Britta exclaims. “There you are! I was looking for you! I need help studying for my psych final!”

“And why do you need me? I’ve never taken a psych class in my life.”

Britta gives him a “shut-up-and-come-with-me” look, and Jeff smirks. 

“Coming.”

They end up next to a fountain, sitting on the side. Britta holds two pennies, both clear and shining.

“You want to wish?” she asks, handing him one. “I will.”

She flips it into the fountain, smiling as she does. 

_ “I wish this happiness would never end.” _

“Aren’t you going to?”

He tosses the penny into the fountain, whispering his wish as quietly as he dares.

_ “I wish we could always be this happy together.” _

__  
_ I’m gonna find my way _ __  
_ Back to your side _ __  
_ Like ships in the night _ __  
_ You keep passing me by _ __  
_ Just wasting time _ _  
_ __ Trying to prove who’s right

 

_ -June- _

It’s the last campus paintball game before Jeff and Britta move to New York City, but they’re the only ones who know it. They both know that if the others ask them to stay, they will. 

“So we’re hiding out here, huh?”   
“Let them take each other out,” Britta replies. “It’ll save us time.”

Jeff smirks, planting a kiss on her cheek. “There’s my badass warrior queen.”

“Shut up.”

“Yes ma’am.”

He loads a paintball into his gun, and, in one fluid motion, twists around the corner and shoots Leonard in the chest.

“You suck!” he shouts.   
“Shut up, Leonard! You’re terrible at paintball!”

“Liar.”

“You’re impressive,” Britta smirks, interlacing her fingers with his. “Are you ready to take down this school?”

Jeff smiles in reply, a cocky grin that speaks volumes. “Never readier.”

__  
_ And if it all goes crashing into the sea _ __  
_ If it’s just you and me _ __  
_ Trying to find the light _ __  
_ Like ships in the night _ __  
_ You're passing me by _ __  
_ You're passing me by _ _  
_ __ Like ships in the night

 

_ -July- _

They’re moving.

Driving across the country to New York City with all their belongings (plus cats) is not the best experience, but they’ll make do.

Against Jeff’s wishes, Britta invited the rest of the study group so they can say goodbye. It’s a bittersweet experience.

After they’ve said their last words to their friends, they head into the moving van and begin the drive. They know it’s going to be long, and life won’t be easy.

But as long as they both wear the silver bands on their ring fingers, they’ll always have each other.

 

-Fin-

**Author's Note:**

> You know the thing where Troy says "Christ-mas?" I realized that like a year ago and thought it was hilarious.


End file.
